We are proud to have cosponsored the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and The Elders for a discussion of the 2020 Doomsday Clock with former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, former Irish President and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, former Governor of California Jerry Brown, and The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ President and CEO Rachel Bronson.
In 2019, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists set the Doomsday Clock at 2-minutes to midnight. This was the closest time to Doomsday the Clock has ever been. It was the same time that was set during the most dangerous exchanges between nuclear-armed superpowers during the Cold War.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists had this to say last year:
“Humanity now faces two simultaneous existential threats, either of which would be cause for immediate concern and attention. These major threats—nuclear weapons and climate change—were exacerbated this past year by the increased use of information warfare to undermine democracy around the world, amplifying risk from these and other threats and putting the future of civilization in extraordinary danger.”
On January 23, Ban Ki-moon, Mary Robinson, Jerry Brown, and Rachel Bronson told us what the time is in 2020.
The event took place on January 23 at 4:00pm, just hours after the Bulletin announced the 2020 time for the Doomsday Clock. The town hall was designed for students to have a chance to discuss these issues, to hear from these leaders but also to share their views.
This event was co-sponsored by: Georgetown University’s Conflict Resolution Program, Georgetown College, Georgetown Environment Initiative, The Department of Government, The Center for Social Justice, Research, Teaching and Service, The Department of Government Master’s Program in American Government, The Department of Government’s Master’s Program in Conflict Resolution, The Department of Government, Master’s Program in Democracy and Government, The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, The Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, The Mortara Center for International Studies, The School of Foreign Service’s Center for Latin American Studies, The School of Foreign Service’s Global Human Development Program, and The Walsh School of Foreign Service.